Friday, April 30, 2010

Labuan: Labuan Ferry Corporation Sdn Bhd (LFC) the operator of the Labuan-Menumbok ferry Wawasan Perdana has denied it held a monopoly over the Labuan-Menumbok service.
Its Executive Chairman, Peter Kong Ping Sen, said we are not the only passenger service on the Labuan-Menumbok-Labuan route as there are about a dozen other speedboats operated by families on the route.
He said the recent introduction of a temporary passenger service by Duta Muhibah 3 was not in competition with the Wawasan Perdana which is a vehicle-cum passenger carrier.

"The Duta Muhibah is, instead, in direct competition with the speedboat operators since both charged the same fare of RM15 for a one-way trip, where as the Wawasan merely charged a token amount of RM5 per passenger," he said.
Peter said since the Bernama report on Duta Muhibah there has been much confusion among the public, including calls that our monopoly on the route be ended. "There is no monopoly. The Duta Muhibah is free to operate if allowed to do so by the authorities. We are not the ones to have objected."
-Daily Express Newspaper Online, Sabah-
It is understood that since the new passenger service was launched there had been several "minor dramas" between the ferry and the fast speed operators. Recently Ports and Harbours Director Captain Chin Koi Foh had said that the Duta would be allowed to operate only till April 26 until the Wawasan had completed docking.
Wawasan Perdana had returned to service last Sunday while the Duta was still in operation. It is not known whether this had anything to do with the recent announcement by Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri that the Transport Ministry had no objection for another licensed Labuan-Menumbok ferry service.
The Minister hoped the Infrastructure Development Ministry would do something to address the complaints by the Labuan people who wanted the ferry service to be improved.
Peter said the Wawasan Perdana had to be docked to ensure safety and convenience of thousands who would be exiting the island for the Harvest Festival.
"Based on our records, at least about 3,000 or more cars leave the island on such occasions and we want to make sure all of them are able to journey back home in time to celebrate with their families and friends," added Peter.
From the consumer point of view, though the speedboat operators were unhappy with the competition posed by Duta, many felt that it was time that the operators improved their services.
Many had been operating the speedboats for years without ever considering upgrading them to launches which are usually more preferred by passengers because they were easier for embarkation and disembarkation.
Presently, women and the elderly find it difficult boarding speedboats.
The relevant authorities have been urged to look into such concerns.
The Duta which can carry 110 passenger is equivalent to the capacity of about 5-6 speedboats.
Since Duta commenced business the passenger load of speedboats had dropped.
This is not the first time a vessel licensed by the Federal Transport Ministry had been disallowed from landing at Menumbok.
Previously the vessel Harapan had the same experience.
This is because small jetties and wharves in coastal towns of Sabah are under the jurisdiction of the Sabah Ports and Harbours Department which has control over issuing the landing licence.